NAMA awards 2024: In depth analysis and responses from the winners
- We speak to the producer of “Damage” the winning video that caused controversy.
- Quotes from Winky D and Jah Prayzah
- Enzo Ishall vs Holy Ten. Our verdict.
- Where could NAMA improve
- The problem with subjective awards
The National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) ceremony took place in Bulawayo on Saturday 24 February 2024.
Winky D and Jah Prayzah won “People’ Choice Award” and “Album of the year” respectively.
Beyond that, 2024, the year of upsets, is not stopping. Assessing ‘merit” by secret vote conjures up a few surprises.
Enzo Ishall’s ‘Raroorwa’ was the creative (wedding) anthem of the year. Wherever Shona is spoken it’s a new standard for its creativity, wit and humour.
‘Raroorwa’ was the comic relief people needed at wedding receptions joining such anthems as ‘Wedding Day,’ ‘Matitsvata’ or ‘Shami.’
Shadaya was stunned. He thought Holy Ten made more noise. I’ll show some love to the underdog. It shocks me the amount of musicians who don’t realise the consumption of clean, pure, child friendly lyrics for the weddings market, a commanding industry on its own.
The number of songs I have heard first at weddings is simply astounding. But there it is! Sadly, gone are the days of crossover appeal.
‘Raroorwa” was the song of the year. It didn’t need a whole year. It may yet be ‘Song of the decade.’ And it still makes over a million listeners smile.
Congratulations Sir Enzo Ishall. You made our collective days in places near and far. Wedding DJs were vindicated as dance floors came alive for choosing this one song.
Winky D said: “I find myself immersed in overpowering emotions of gratitude, as I remain unable to contain the boundless appreciation I hold for all of you. You are a testament to enduring bonds of unity and love. I wish to convey my heartfelt thanks for your unrelenting support throughout my musical journey, particularly over the past year and following the release of “Eureka Eureka.”
“Every vote cast embodies two decades of commitment to ghetto-craft music that pierces straight to our hearts and souls. Your devotion and belief in me serve as a foundation upon which the Gafa music dream stands tall, and I assure you that I remain steadfastly dedicated to returning the favour through inspiring and uplifting creations.”
“Together, we form a powerful force capable of transcending boundaries and shattering ceilings. It is because of you that I am able to proudly carry the torch of ghetto-craft music, illuminating the path for others to follow. I grow increasingly confident that our future holds limitless possibilities, provided we continue to walk hand in hand along this dazzling musical crusade.
“A toast to many more years of creating, collaborating, and conquering together. No better way to honor the indomitable spirit of our beloved Ghetto-cratic family over the past year and 2 decades of ghetto-craft. Yours eternally grateful, Gafa Music “
Jah Prayzah winning “Album of the year” was no mean feat. These days Artists resort to singles. His was a double album release. The courage to release albums in itself should be applauded.
He said: “Moyo wangu uzere nekuTENDA. To my incredible fans, your unwavering support gives me so much strength. A special shoutout to the amazing producers, instrumentalists and vocalists behind the album, your dedication shines through every part of the album.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to more music and shared victories!”
Print versus online: People are now online. Artists benefit from streaming services like Spotify and Youtube. NAMA should consider streaming live on social media.
ZTN streamed live on their DSTV channel with a considerably more limited local audience. Why not stream live? The heavy bias towards traditional media houses needs to go. Some websites like Nehanda Radio are open with their circulation figures which ranges between 50-100,000 per story depending on the story.
Other giants recognized at the awards were Clive Mono Mukundu, multi-talented academic T K Tsodzo (novelist and textbook writer), Feli Nandi (Female Musician of the year), Khumbulani Muleya (Online writer) and Chamvary (the hardworking radio DJ with over a decade of experience).
A nomination is a win. Plot Mhako was nominated for the 4th year running as Online writer. Shingai was nominated for her follow up song to runaway ‘Dzimba Dzamabwe’ for ‘Harare to Mutare.’ KVG and Holy 10 were also nominees.
You can never dismiss the subjective nature of individual awards. Born winners may feel “first is first and second is nothing.” But even the Olympics recognise Gold, Silver and Bronze and qualifying itself.
Khumbulani Muleya’s dedication and selfless application in promoting all 16 national languages in his work won him an award. He speaks all 16, at least passingly, and 4 comfortably, including sign language.
He is a humble Arts promoter and journalist. Music, Drawing & painting, poetry, literature, film-making or all categories considered by NAMA are his major. I don’t think Muleya went looking for the award.
The faceless judges may not be pronounced social media fanatics but I am certain they see that “Dynamite comes in small packages” or “Mugoti unopihwa anyerere.” They recognized a quiet but hard grafter.
That takes nothing away from Plot Mhako who is also doing commendable work gaining 4 nominations in 4 years, in itself a sign of amazing consistency. Let’s not forget the subjective nature of consensus awards.
Shingai followed up on “Dzimba dze Mabwe” with a collaboration with Brian K. ‘Harare to Mutare’ a great song with a nice video. It included over 50 participants. It was directed by Jonathan Samukange with input from Joe Njagu and Shingai herself.
I got access to the behind the scenes, at the time. I was impressed by the work the team did on this project. I have experience in video myself and believe it was a gold standard of how things can be done.
The NAMA however went to Jonathan Samkange.
Samkange submitted 2 of his clients’ videos in one category. After 2 years of working on ‘Harare to Mutare” he also worked with Tahle Wedzinza on ‘Damage’ a song that is unavailable. A rare trailer was posted yesterday on social media. It showed that it may contain ‘Computer generated Images’ or AI.
In 2022 Winky D’s ‘Eureka’ and ‘Dzimba dze Mabwe’ were denied entry because the work was released too early. But somehow “Damage’ did the damage before its release. I reached out to Jonathan Samukange for comment.
“It’s [Damage music video] not publicly available, I reserve that right for the artist [Tahle]. But I did send it to 23 film festivals around the world and hopefully we win.”
It’s not uncommon to send films for assessment before release. For music videos it’s not right to do that because the whole purpose is to promote the song.
I asked him about the possibility of split votes when Dream House competes against itself. It could cause conflict of interest in my view.
He responded: “Every year we submit over 7 videos to the NAMAs I was just pleasantly surprised to see our videos do so well they dominated the space. This year we will be submitting more than 20 pieces of content from films, music videos, tv shows and tv series. So we are coming stronger than ever.”
The decision to accept “Damage” was NAMAs. Perhaps they could close these loopholes in the future. It’s very possible for an inspired artist and his team to come up with 2 killer songs or more on the same album or as videos.
By accepting the one in circulation in 2023 (Harare to Mutare) surely Dream House would still be a formidable force. It was a ground-breaking project that I felt would win a NAMA. But that horse has bolted.
What was different about “Damage”?
Samukange said: “With Damage I had full creative control since I sponsored its production I could do whatever I wanted within reason. Tahle shared her ideas and I took those to another level by adding narrative and interesting visuals elements enhanced by computer graphics and CGI.
“We created a whole tomb with a treasure, we hired beautiful costumes for Reps Theater and everything was well planned. I must say Xzike Zolani was our golden treasure in this video, his acting is just on a Hollywood level, he made our video special, even getting hurt and bleeding on set to create a convincing performance.
“You really feel like he is in danger. My production team is also my secret weapon, I’ve been teaching my crew for an entire year to replicate my skills, which allows us to work at a high level.”
Asked if he realised he undermined “Harare to Mutare’s” genuine chance to win a NAMA by the double submission, Samukange said: “I totally agree, when Damage won I was surprised too. I really loved Harare to Mutare. It was epic, but a nomination is certainly a win.”
Meanwhile Tahle We Dzinza has issued a statement clarifying the situation;
“Tahle We Dzinza has always collaborated with other artists. The application in question was submitted by the film producer Jonathan Samukange in his capacity as a film make and not by Tahle We Dzinda in her capacity as a musician.
“This is not the first time that artists have approached us to use Tahle’s music to showcase their skill and craft. The award in essence was awarded to Jonathan Samukange for the direction of the music video.
“This is the reason for those who watched the NAMAs, jonathan Samukange of Dream House received the award in his capacity as a film director as he was the applicant not Tahle We Dzinza. The NAMA award is not hers and she never accepted it.”
NAMA are not entirely to blame for this unfortunate mix-up although their consistency and transparency in enforcing their own rules could improve.
We can’t have one set of rules for Winky D’s ‘Eureka’ and an exemption for someone else. It could improve the audience experience if the work submitted is already in the public domain.
There was no winner in the Comedy category. Do we just happen to disagree with the humour? Or are the judges not qualified to spot a good joke?
For magnanimity think of Clive Mono Mukundu who was a guitarist with Oliver Mtukudzi’s band and is now a producer. He just won his first NAMA at 53. Twice he was a nominated. He always stated this as a mere matter of fact.
He said: “ARTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR! Guys, I’m thrilled that I won my first NAMA last night! Being acknowledged in your own homeland is the most significant achievement for any artist, according to me.
“Despite being referred to as ‘The multi-award winning Mono Mukundu’ by newspapers for many years, I had not received any recognition on a national level.”
“It took a turn on Saturday 19 February, 2022 when I received the prestigious ZIMA Lifetime Achievement Award. After that, more recognition followed as I was bestowed with The Blackbelt Mentorship award on Saturday 6 December 2023.
“The Legendary award followed on Thursday 14 December 2023. Then, last night, Saturday the 24th of February, 2024, I received my first NAMA. Thank you NAMA,I can smell these flowers ndega since ndichiri mupenyu.”
Outstanding Online Media winner Muleya said: “It’s a very good feeling to be recognised for some of the many things one has a passion for. I am honoured to be selected among some of the major players in the creative space. We are not in a competition, but together, we can generate momentum that will evolve the local creative industry.’
“My journey has been a long one. First, I thank my parents for bringing me into this world. I have always been multi angled but I was born a footballer and never ever imagined I would be anything else. I am in the media space because I was inspired by my brother Dumisani Muleya.”
Steve Chikosi filmmaker said: “Big thank you to the National Arts Merit Awards for honouring our documentary “White Yet Black” with the Outstanding Screen Production (Full Length Film) award! We’re deeply grateful to the community of people with albinism for entrusting us with their story.
It’s heartening to witness a growing commitment to authentic representation for people with albinism, and we’re hopeful for continued progress. Special gratitude to our talented producer Tsitsi Madhodha and the entire crew. And of course, endless thanks to our supportive families and to the wellspring of all creativity.”
Below is the full list of winners
DANCE AWARDS
Outstanding Female Dancer:
Deborah Kabongo in Fame in a Frame
Outstanding Male Dancer:
Sean Mambwere in The Chronicles
Outstanding Dance Group:
Salt and Light — The Chronicles
Outstanding Dance Choreographer:
Terence Kapesa — A man from Bulawayo-Saint-Floew
VISUAL ARTS AWARDS
Outstanding 2-Dimensional Work:
Wire Car by Christwish Mulunga
Outstanding 3-Dimensional Work:
Charging Gorilla by Ray Chataira
Outstanding Mixed Media Work:
Sins of our forefathers
Outstanding Exhibition:
Pamoyo Sihlengeni — (Solo Exhibition at National Gallery of Zimbabwe-Bulawayo: curated by Doris Kamupira)
SPOKEN WORD AWARDS
Outstanding Poet:
Ngonidzashe Paradza aka Mambo Guramatunhu
Outstanding Comedian (None)
Outstanding Social Media Skit:
Admire Takudzwa Mushambi aka Mama Vee
MEDIA AWARD
Outstanding Journalist — Print:
Sindiso Dube (Alpha Media)
Outstanding Journalist — Radio
Chamvary (ZiFM Stereo)
Outstanding Journalist — Television
Collete Musanyera (ZTV)
Outstanding Online Media:
Khumbulani Muleya (Heart and Soul)
THEATRE AWARDS
Outstanding Actor:
Dean Jones as Lago in Aladdin
Outstanding Actress:
Musawenkosi Sibanda as ALL MOTHER: We are One WINNER in
Simunye
Outstanding Theatrical Production:
Simunye We are One, directed by Mongi Wekhaya Mthombeni produced by Shearwater
LITERARY AWARDS
Outstanding First Creative Published Work:
The Train House on Lobengula Street by Fatima Kara
Outstanding Children’s Book:
The Haunted Pumkin by Mai Sarungano Folktales
Outstanding Fiction book:
UKhethiwe by Zibusiso Mabonisa
Outstanding Poetry Book:
Shamhu yezera renyu by Memory Chirere
FILM AND TELEVISION AWARD
Outstanding Actor:
Everson K Chieza as Jabulani in the November Promise
Outstanding Actress:
Bonakele Agnes Ncube as Dudu in High School Diary
Outstanding Music Video:
Damage — Tahle Wedzinza — Directed by Jonathan Samukange
Outstanding Screen Production (Television):
High School Diary — John Mabuyane
Outstanding Screen Production (short length film):
Daughter of the soil by Derrick Manieca
Outstanding Screen Production (full length film):
White yet Black by Steve Chikosi
MUSIC AWARDS
Outstanding Newcomer:
Kinah-the-Music (Shekinah Nathan Ndlovu)
Outstanding Female Musician:
Feli Nandi
Outstanding Male Musician:
Enzo Ishall
Outstanding Song:
Bhebhi Rako Raroorwa by Enzo Ishall
Outstanding Album:
Chiremerera by Jah Prayzah
SPECIAL AWARDS
Promoter of the Year:
Chipaz Promotions
Artist in the Diaspora:
Learnmore Jonasi Mwanyenyeka aka Long John (Stand Up Comedy) based in the US
Arts Personality of the Year:
Clive Mono Mukundu
Arts Service Award:
Robert Malcolm McLaren
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Dr Thompson Kumbirayi Tsodzo
People’s Choice Award:
Winky D (Wallace Chirimuko)
